“Night of the Living Dead is a classic that has inspired countless imitators, and spawned a sub-genre that continues to be exploited today in film, television, books and video games.” – John Scoleri, author of Latent Images: Night of the Living Dead

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero’s influential and franchise-spawning horror film about a group of characters trapped in a Pennsylvania farmhouse who are stalked by flesh-eating zombies.

Night of the Living Dead – co-written by John Russo and featuring Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Riley, and Keith Wayne – opened fifty years ago this autumn, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with author and film historian John Scoleri.

John Scoleri is the author of Latent Images: Night of the Living Dead (Dreams and Visions Press, 2019), and several books on artist Ralph McQuarrie, including The Art of Ralph McQuarrie: Archives (Dreams and Visions Press, 2015). He was co-editor (with Peter Enfantino and Robert Morrish) of The Scream Factory Magazine (Deadline Press, 1989-1997) as well as the 600+ page greatest-hits collection, The Best of The Scream Factory (Cemetery Dance, 2018). [Read on here...]

Also today, we have an update on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Warner Bros. has now officially announced (see this link) that the film is returning to theaters for a limited run in 70mm starting on 5/18 in honor of its 50th anniversary. The 4K Ultra HD pre-order page was recently pulled down from Amazon and now we know why: The street date had been listed as 5/8, but the title is now slated to arrive this fall, after the theatrical run. Both the 70mm return to theaters and the 4K release are being presented by director Christopher Nolan. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got one more quick update for you here at The Bits today...

Our friends at The Criterion Collection have just announced their February 2018 Blu-ray and DVD slate, which is set to include an update of Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows (Spine #35 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 2/6, an update of Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (Spine #13 – Blu-ray and DVD – from a new 4K scan) and George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (Spine #910 – Blu-ray and DVD – from a new 4K scan) on 2/13, Satyajit Ray’s The Hero (Spine #911 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Kon Ichikawa’s An Actor’s Revenge (Spine #912 – Blu-ray and DVD – from a new 4K scan) on 2/20, and finally Tony Richardson’s Tom Jones (Spine #909 – Blu-ray and DVD – from a new 4K scan) on 2/17. [Read on here…]

As many of us already know, when you’re searching for a film that has been elusive as far as DVD and Blu-ray are concerned, looking elsewhere in the world might just yield you a copy of what you seek. To that end, on the other side of the globe (Australia to be exact), Umbrella Entertainment is releasing a number of hard to find titles, as well as upgrades of already existing ones. From the obscure to the mainstream, there’s always something in their library worthy of your attention.

For example, their recent Blu-ray release of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films and Machete Maidens Unleashed!. It’s an exclusive title piled high with extras, almost none of which you’ll find on the DVD-only state-side releases. Be sure to check out our review of it as well. And while their DVDs are Region 4 encoded, ALL of Umbrella Entertainment’s Blu-ray releases are Region Free, regardless of what the online description or final packaging states. So no matter what your setup is, you can watch their Blu-rays. Speaking of which, here are several recent titles worthy of your attention. [Read on here...]

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